TICKETS Tickets are sure to sell out fast so make sure you book soon! HERE
WHEN Saturday 21st and 22nd February 2026
WHERE Meadowbank Sports Centre London Road, Edinburgh, EH7 6AE
TIMINGS:
Saturday 21st: 10:00 – Doors Open 10:30 – Game 1: ARRD All Stars v Madrid All Stars 12:45 – Game 2: Madrid All Stars v Marseille Bloody Skulls 15:00 – Game 3: ARRD C-Team v Challenge Team 17:15 – Game 4: London Brawl Saints v Marseille Bloody Skulls 19:00 – Day Ends
Sunday 22nd: 08:30 – Doors Open 09:00 – Game 5: Madrid All Stars v London Brawl Saints 11:15 – Game 6: ARRD All Stars v Marseille Bloody Skulls 13:30 – Game 7: ARRD All Stars v London Brawl Saints 15:30 – Event Ends
REFRESHMENTS Grab a Bonnie Burrito special from the food truck in the car park to keep you going between games.
After EIGHT long years away from our home venue at Meadowbank, GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO SKATE!!
On 21 & 22 February 2026, Auld Reekie Roller Derby finally return home and this revamped, yet historic, space sets the stage for a landmark weekend of elite European roller derby.
Over two action-packed days, four of Europe’s top teams will compete in a six-game, top-tier tournament, not to be missed. Expect speed, strategy, cheers, and probably the best half time entertainment you’ve ever seen! As if that’s not enough, we’re throwing in a bonus C Team game too!
For Auld Reekie, this tournament is more than competition—it’s a homecoming. A return to our roots. A chance to write the next chapter in the very place our story began.
Whether you’re a lifelong derby fan or new to the sport, this is a weekend not to miss: world-class roller derby, a historic venue, and an atmosphere charged with pride, passion, and pure adrenaline.
Two days. Six games. One unforgettable return home.
Grab your early bird tickets until 12th January, and a chance to pre purchase some official tournament merch when checking out!
On 27th September 2025, some of our members are taking on the challenge of skating/cycling the length of the Gaza Strip (41 Km) to raise funds in aid of people in Gaza.
Come join us for some DOUBLE TROUBLE as Auld Reekie Roller Derby take on Dundee Roller Derby TWICE!!
First up – Auld Reekie’s amazing Braw Stars take on the Dundee’s top flight team – the Silvery Tazers! And if that wasn’t enough excitement for you, stay on to watch Auld Reekie’s newly formed C Team take on Dundee’s B Team the Bonnie Colliders!
WHERE Dalkeith Community Leisure 4 Cousland Road, Dalkeith EH22 2PS
TIMINGS 11:30 – Doors Open 12:00 – Game 1 – Auld Reekie Braw Stars v Dundee Silvery Tazers 14:15 – Game 2 – Auld Reekie C v Dundee Bonnie Colliders
REFRESHMENTS Grab a Bonnie Burrito special from the food truck in the car park to keep you going between games, and be sure to visit our home baking stall for a snack or three afterwards!
VENDOR VILLAGE Keep an eye out for announcements of our vendors for the day – but you can be sure there will be plenty of team merchandise up for grabs so don’t forget to bring some spends!
Phone signals are very sketchy in the hall so please bring CASH!!
We’ve got Christmas sorted for roller derby fans big and small (Yes! Kids’ sizes too!) with our brand new limited edition T-shirt and logo sweatshirts.
Get your orders in by 27th Nov to fill your stockings in time for Christmas!
THE UK FIVE NATIONS ROLLER DERBY TOURNAMENT HAS BEGUN!
Auld Reekie have not one, but two teams competing this season, and first up is our amazing All Star Reserves who are competing in Tier 3 – ‘The North’.
In an exciting double header, watch Leeds B Team take on Sheffield Steel, followed by our very own All Star Reserves challenging Nottinghams’ Hellfire Harlots.
WHEN Saturday 25th March
WHERE Dalkeith Community Leisure 4 Cousland Road, Dalkeith EH22 2PS
TIMINGS 12:30 – Doors Open 13:00 – Game 1 Start – Leeds B v Sheffield 15:15 – Game 2 Start – Auld Reekie Reserves v Nottingham Hellfire Harlot
REFRESHMENTS Grab a Bonnie Burrito special from our food truck in the car park to keep you going between games, and be sure to visit our home baking stall for a snack or three afterwards!
VENDOR VILLAGE A plethora of skate and non skate related stalls will be there on the day for all of your browsing needs. Obviously you’ll need to pick up some of our new Auld Reekie merchandise too.
Block 1 – FOUNDATIONS: 6 weeks from Tues 20 Sept – Tues 25 Oct You will learn how to skate, stop, change direction – generally having fun and getting comfortable and stable on skates ready for roller derby!
Block 2 – PROGRESSION: 6 weeks from Tues 1 Nov – Tues 6 Dec You will learn some basic roller derby moves and skills, including an introduction to full contact elements of the sport – in a safe and controlled environment
‘Foundations’ is open to all including those who have never skated before and ‘Progression’ is aimed at those who have skated before (or attended our 6 week Foundations block) and can skate, change direction and comfortably stop’.
Each Block consists of…* Weekly 2 hour on skates session every Tuesday from 7-9pm with our experienced coaches* Additional off-skates learning (delivered via Zoom and Facebook Groups) to guide you through roller derby orientation, the rules of the game, and the basics of officiating so you can choose your pathway into the sport.
We accept anyone from absolute beginners, to those who have skated a ton before – you just have to be over the age of 18.
In line with the Women’s Flat Track Roller Derby Association Gender Policy, all those who identify as women, trans women, intersex women and/or gender-expansive may train and compete as skaters of Auld Reekie Roller Derby if women’s flat track roller derby is the version and composition of roller derby with which they most closely identify. All genders may train as skating and non-skating officials, and join as non-skating members in other capacities.
All sessions will be held at Leith Academy – please note, occasionally venue changes may be required if Leith Academy is closed for holidays or exams.
During the programme you will learn in a friendly and inclusive environment:- A basic understanding of roller derby and the fundamentals of skating- How Roller Derby is played, who is involved, game parameters and safety- Feeling comfortable on skates and confident with physical proximity to others
Please note that cancellations and refunds can only be accepted up to 1 week prior to the event start date.
An update from us here at Auld Reekie regarding COVID-19: All in-person training and events have stopped with immediate effect until further notice. This is to assist with social distancing and to reduce and delay the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
This means there will be no new skater intake on March 29th, and we have cancelled the British Champs game we were hosting on April 4th. We have taken this decision to protect not only our league members, but their families, colleagues, friends, neighbours, and the wider community.
Our excellent coaches are working on a varied online training programme for us, that we are looking forward to participating in.
We wish all the best of health to all our friends and followers in this uncertain time. Look out for yourself and each other, and please don’t hesitate contact us with any queries.
In 2015, I lost the use of my hands. Constant neuropathic pain left me unable to type or write, limiting my ability to work. If that wasn’t enough, I had to give up every hobby: knitting, felting, origami, biking, and martial arts.
When I had had enough of audiobooks and drinking vodka through a straw, I had to learn to get back to work. I resumed my PhD program in informatics by learning to dictate code and papers. I even worked through math problems by dictating each equation using specialized scripts and a speech recognition program. But getting my life back on track wasn’t just about finding a way to finish my PhD. I needed hobbies, ways to be active, and that had always meant martial arts. I had done Krav Maga, grappling, and Brazilian jujitsu at various times in my life. Now I couldn’t punch or grip, but I still craved a contact sport.
As a child, I would’ve laughed if anyone suggested that I would enjoy a team sport. I hated the pressure in school sports, I hated feeling judged for mistakes that affected teammates, I had no friends and struggled in social situations. I couldn’t catch a ball – in fact, I was terrified of projectiles of all sorts. I would run from a badminton birdie! If that wasn’t enough, I’ve always thought of myself as a person with terrible balance. I’m lumbering and awkward, I look funny when I run. I can’t dance and I’m slow. Why would I ever put on skates, when I’m already so injury prone?
But in 2016, I was desperate to move my body and none of that seemed to matter. I knew one ball-free contact sport that could accommodate my limited use of hands: roller derby, where the rules severely limit hand use anyway. I registered to skate with Auld Reekie Roller Derby (or Girls, back then) and went shopping for gear.
Fresh meat was nothing like school team sports! When I was small, overwhelmed by the fear of potential monsters lurking in dark spaces, I moved all my bedding over to my closet and began to sleep there. For eight years, I slept fearlessly in the knowledge that I was the only monster in the cupboard. With my lifelong terror of all flying objects, I experienced the same transformation. So what if I couldn’t catch a ball? Jumping or flying around the track, nothing would catch me.
And what about socializing? Well, what about it? I was strange. So was everyone else! Every weirdo who ever put on skates was there with me, and any awkward silence was immediately filled with chatter about plate angles or the perfect trick to master a hockey stop.
As for my physical awkwardness, I had to change how I viewed my body. I’m not malcoordinated and unbalanced – I’m always working on my balance! I choose exercises that work on bursts of energy and agility. If it takes me a little longer to master some new footwork, if I’m a little faster to fall, I remember the things that I’ve learned faster than anyone else. My flexible hips made side-surfing easy for me from the start, making some transitions simple.
My hands are still an obstacle sometimes. The pain limits how much blocking I can do in a wall, and sometimes my right hand will hurt too much so I can only brace with my left hand. If the pain is especially bad, I can’t take a whip by grabbing someone’s shirt. Fortunately, my favorite position is as a floating offense, and I’ve learned to assert myself when I can’t fill a particular role.
I never would’ve attempted roller derby, a wheeled team sport so far outside of my comfort zone that I could only admire it from afar. I came into this sport out of desperation, but it’s the one gift I received along with my disability. It’s sustained me, and leaving my comfort zone – athletically and socially – trained me for the ways in which I need to challenge and reshape the world and myself in living as a disabled person.
In 2015, I lost the use of my hands. Constant neuropathic pain left me unable to type or write, limiting my ability to work. If that wasn’t enough, I had to give up every hobby: knitting, felting, origami, biking, and martial arts.
And what about socializing? Well, what about it? I was strange. So was everyone else! Every weirdo who ever put on skates was there with me, and any awkward silence was immediately filled with chatter about plate angles or the perfect trick to master a hockey stop.